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Press release 13 April: International Experts Agree upon Roadmap for Water ReformsOn Friday 13th April water experts from around 30 countries agreed upon the “Copenhagen Initiative” laying out a roadmap for the implementation of water reforms in developing countries. The meeting, hosted by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN-Water, was opened by the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation and the Executive Director of the United Nation’s Environment Programme (UNEP) The participation of the Conference comprised of representatives from developing countries, regional organisations, international financial organisations, donors, and the UN. Since the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 declaration that all countries should develop plans for water resources management, a large number of countries, among others with support from Denmark, have developed plans to ensure a more sustainable exploitation of water resources. The Conference focused on the necessity of translating the plans into concrete improvements that can contribute to meeting the Millennium Development Goals on poverty, hunger, and environment by 2015. In her speech, the Minister for Development Cooperation, Ms. Ulla Tørnæs underlined the importance of good water resources management in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The agreed roadmap identifies milestones for the implementation of these plans. The Minister for Development Cooperation noted that, “We have to promote concrete action, which will make a difference for poor people and ensure that the 2015 goals are met in a sustainable manner.” With reference to the newly published report from UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UNEP Executive Director stressed that climate changes, even in the short term, will pose serious problems with respect to increased water scarcity, prolonged drought periods, and more frequent floods. In Africa alone, where vulnerability to climate changes is particularly high, up to 250 million people will be affected by water scarcity and serious reductions in food production.
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